JULY 7, 2026

  “My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible.

All are of no value unless they are followed by action.” 
― Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World

JOB 35-37

11If they obey and serve him,

they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity

and their years in contentment.

12But if they do not listen,

they will perish by the sword^a

and die without knowledge.(36:11-12)

ACTS 14

8In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

11When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15“Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

19Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

JOURNAL 

Avoidance is deceptive because in the moment it can feel like safety. It can feel like wisdom, like patience, like waiting for the right time, or like protecting myself from something that feels too big to face. But the truth is that avoidance rarely removes the problem. Most of the time, it only moves the problem into the future and allows it to grow. That is where procrastination becomes so dangerous. It offers temporary relief, but it often creates greater pressure later. What I avoid today can become overwhelming tomorrow. What feels manageable now can become massive when I refuse to engage it. In that way, avoidance is not really peace. It is borrowed comfort that eventually demands repayment with interest.

This connects deeply to the way fear works in me. When I feel out of control, when I face authority, when I face uncertainty, when I feel the possibility of failure or exposure, something in me wants to check out. I do not always run in obvious ways. Sometimes I delay. Sometimes I distract myself. Sometimes I convince myself I will deal with it later. But underneath, there is often a deeper fear that facing the problem will threaten my identity, my security, or my sense of peace. But action is where faith becomes real. Dreams, plans, intentions, and goals have no weight unless they are followed by obedience. It is easy to think about the person I want to become. It is easy to write about courage, discipline, and surrender. But the truth is revealed in the next step. The truth is revealed when I engage the thing I would rather avoid.

In Job, Elihu presents a view of life that sounds simple. If someone obeys and serves God, they will prosper and live in contentment. If they do not listen, they will perish without knowledge. There is truth in the call to obedience, but the danger is turning obedience into a transaction. Job’s life does not fit that formula. Paul’s life does not fit that formula either. Faithful action does not always lead to ease. Sometimes obedience leads straight into resistance, misunderstanding, pain, and suffering.

Paul shows this clearly in Acts 14. He speaks boldly in Lystra, and a man who had never walked is healed. The crowd is amazed, but they misunderstand the miracle and try to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods. Paul immediately redirects the glory back to the living God. He does not exploit the moment. He does not hide from the confusion. He steps into it and tells the truth. Then the crowd turns. The same people who wanted to worship him are persuaded against him. They stone Paul and drag him outside the city, thinking he is dead. That kind of rejection and suffering would be enough to make most people retreat permanently. But Paul gets up. He rises. Then he goes back into the city.

That is the opposite of avoidance. Paul does not go back because it is comfortable. He does not go back because the outcome is guaranteed. He goes back because his life is anchored in something deeper than self-protection. He is not living to avoid pain. He is living to obey God. He is living as a conduit of God’s power, love, and discipline.

That challenges me because I can see how often I want faith without engagement. I want peace without facing the thing that is stealing it. I want growth without discomfort. I want breakthrough without the first step. But that is not how perseverance is formed. James says to consider it joy when we face trials because the testing of faith produces perseverance, and perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete.

Avoidance interrupts that work. It keeps me immature. It keeps me circling the same fears. It allows small problems to become large ones. It allows fear to sit on the throne while I wait for a perfect moment that may never come. I do not need to solve everything at once. I do not need to control the outcome. I do not need to command success. But I do need to take the next honest step. I need to open the bill, make the call, have the conversation, start the work, tell the truth, ask the question, or face the thing I have been delaying.

That is where freedom begins. Not in dramatic gestures, but in faithful movement. One honest step breaks the loop. One act of obedience interrupts avoidance. One moment of engagement proves that fear does not get to rule me. I want to live that way. I want to stop mistaking avoidance for safety. I want to stop allowing temporary relief to create future chaos. I want to become the kind of man who can feel anxiety and still act with power, love, and discipline. I want to rise when I am knocked down, return when obedience calls me back, and trust God with the outcome.

Because avoiding the hard thing does not create peace. Surrendering to God and taking the next faithful step does.

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^a whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

JAMES 1:2-4